Try Tel Aviv's best falafel

The name Hakosem quite literally means ‘magician’ in Hebrew and this justly famous falafel outpost near the Tel Aviv Museum of Art does indeed conjure up mindbendingly delicious little spherical wonders. They come with a spellbinding array of tasty toppings.

Maganda is a standout restaurant in Tel Aviv's old Yemeni neighbourhood

Maganda

The old Yemeni neighbourhood is a true foodie heaven – street food wherever you look, plus amazing traditional restaurants serving up old family recipes. You can’t go wrong with any of the falafel in this area around the Carmel Market, but Maganda really is a bit special.

Just a few sad shekels in your pocket? You can still eat like a king at Razon near the Carmel Market, where 6ILS (€1.60) will bag you some of Tel Aviv’s scrummiest falafels in pitta, with crispy cabbage salad, tahini and amba, a mouthwatering mango sauce.

Without any doubt, this is the most authentic spot in town for houmous  and falafel – eat in or takeaway, you should insist they give you a generous splash of their signature house lemon dressing for knockout levels of zest. Find it at 1 Ha’Dolfin Street, near Jaffa Port.

Eat falafel in a lively dockside setting at The Old Man and the Sea / Image: Pazit Asoulin

The Old Man and the Sea

Known for its just-caught seafood and lively dockside setting, this joint’s falafels are absolutely first-class flavour-wise too. Crunchy on the outside, green, mushy and delicious inside thanks to flavourful, freshly smushed herbs. The original outlet is in Jaffa Port, but there's a second location a little further south that's less touristy. Find it at 85 Kedem Street.

The folks at Shlomo and Sons, a decidedly modest-looking kiosk a couple of blocks back from Nordau Beach, have been frying up note-perfect falafel for over 40 years and they’ve still never given up their secret recipe. Though we highly suspect there’s a good dash of turmeric in there.

Hopping on the global #UnicornFood bandwagon, Falafel 4 Flavors in central Tel Aviv gives its fried chickpea balls bright colours and a bold assortment of flavours. Stuff them into your pitta for delicious, hearty fodder.